Dear Debbie -

If you're working, I would agree with you about the Marinol (synthetic THC) although you may be able to have some of it when you get home and then counter with a Provigil and a strong cup of coffee in the morning, although I must warn you that (1) coffee is regarded as a vasal constrictor and therefore of no-no for people who are concerned about muscle spasms, although I personally haven't had a problem with it, i.e. I can go off coffee for some time and the cramping remains as bad as ever, and (2) spasms are a known side-effect of Provigil.

Baclofen is a drug that I could not tolerate when I was working because it was an absolute bear on my short-term memory, much more so than Neurontin, by example. However, not everyone has that reaction, so it's something that you might want to see if it works for you.

As far as Zanaflex goes, when I first started taking it, it made me very tired so I only took it at night, and had absolutely no hangover in the morning. Now I don't really feel it al all. Another drug in the same class - which produced no sleepiness in me at all - is Trileptal (Oxcarbazepine). Unfortunately, it can cause a potentially dangerous drop in your blood sodium levels, so they have to be monitored, every 6 weeks or so. I had been on Trileptal for almost 2 years when I got the call that my sodium level were dropping fast and that I had to get off of it ASAP. Still, it's a good drug, when properly monitored, and I should have mentioned it earlier.

Finally, and I mention this more as a curiosity than anything, after close the 3 years on Neurontin, I note that I am having increasing difficulties with it making me extremely sleepy during the day, problems that I didn’t have for at least the first year and a half I was on the drug.

Please let me know if I can provide any more info.

Mike